The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go - Chapter 17

“You know, even if you don’t have friends. Talking to the sword doesn’t improve your social skills.”

 

I don’t know if he’s being sarcastic, but the person concerned seemed to give sincere advice, which made him even more angry.

 

‘I don’t think he’s very sociable either…?’

 

At that moment, Caliberne’s voice rang in my head.

 

[That’s right. Anyway, he’s not wrong, right?]

 

‘Hey, be quiet. You’re the same as having no friends.’

 

At those words, Caliberne shuddered, but I tried to ignore it and turned my head towards the boy.

 

‘Where did this little boy come from?’

 

Naturally, there weren’t many children of my age or Cedric in the palace.

 

I was also the youngest member of the Knights.

 

The next youngest member after me was 16 years old, so he was four years older than me.

 

But this guy in front of me looked about the same age as me.

 

“You know, if you don’t have a friend, do you want me to be your friend?”

 

“Well, no, not really…”

 

The answer of refusal came out.

 

It wasn’t until the words came out of my mouth that I thought, “Oops.”

 

Curly golden hair.

 

Rose colored cheeks.

 

A well-organized cravat, shirt, and black shorts.

 

Anyone could tell his appearance was shouting, ‘I’m a son of a wealthy family.’

 

If a child was able to enter the Imperial Palace and had such an appearance, it was most likely the son of a high-ranking nobleman.

 

‘Crazy, I don’t think it’s good to talk to him like that…’

 

Sure enough, the boy had a shocked expression as if the world had collapsed.

 

“What did you just say? You don’t like it?”

 

“Oh no, that’s-”

 

“Do you even know who I am?”

 

The boy’s face, which looked like a doll, was distorted in an instant.

 

‘No, I didn’t know that, so wouldn’t I say that if I knew him?‘ The words came up to the end of my throat, but I held it in.

 

Once I saw his appearance, it was obvious that he was a precious son of a noble family, so I had to shut up quietly after being knighted a few days ago.

 

“I said I’d be your friend, but how dare you say no?”

 

“No, I’m, I’m sorry-”

 

But the child, deeply offended by the fact that he was rejected, retorted without listening to me.

 

“I know who you are. You’re the one from the oracle and you’re working for Cedric.”

 

[Oh, I think he knows who you are. You’re popular now. Lucky you, hey!]

 

‘No, I don’t want to get this kind of attention…’

 

Just as I was thinking about it, the child squinted his green eyes and shouted.

 

“I’ll tell Cedric everything-”

 

“Ciel!!”

 

However, the child’s voice was completely buried by Cedric’s cry that stormed through the door.

 

Cedric, who was running towards me with a smile on his face, stopped when he saw the boy.

 

“Huh? Kashuel, why are you here?”

 

“By accident…”

 

Neither Cedric nor the child, who was called Kashuel, were speaking casually to each other.

 

‘It’s just that you have too much confidence to speak informally with the Crown Prince.’ Looking at the two people, I thought to myself.

 

“Didn’t you hear that I’m coming today?”

 

“I didn’t hear anything about it.”

 

Cedric tilted his head to answer Kashuel’s question.

 

And his gaze, which had stayed on Kashuel for a while, suddenly shifted to me.

 

“But… Did you two know each other?”

 

Cedric wrinkled his brow and said with a very serious expression.

 

“No, it’s my first time seeing him today.”

 

“Oh, as expected, I see.”

 

Cedric nodded when he heard my answer.

 

For some reason, Cedric’s hardened expression seemed to loosened and the corners of his lips raised slightly.

 

“Your Highness Cedric!”

 

Just then, Paul opened the door wide and shouted.

 

As soon as he came in, his eyes met Cedric, and he sighed and walked along.

 

“Your Highness, I have told you over and over again that you must not run in the hallway.”

 

“But, I heard Ciel’s voice from here.”

 

Cedric snuggled up to me and pulled my arm towards him.

 

At that moment, Kashuel shifted his gaze from Paul to Cedric.

 

Cedric continued to hold my arm until after Paul’s nagging was over, and Kashuel watched at the scene.

 

Then his green eyes grew like a startled rabbit.

 

“Phew, late greeting, Little Duke.”

 

“Yes, it’s been a while, Paul.”

 

Kashuel was very familiar with Paul’s greetings, and when I saw them, my mind began to spin.

 

‘Little Duke? Crazy, the Duke was a child?’

 

[Silly, that’s enough to be able to speak informally to the crown prince]

 

It became even more disturbing when Caliberne scolded me in this disturbing situation.

 

“Did you sleep well last night too, Ciel?”

 

“Oh, yes. How about Paul?”

 

“Yes, I slept well.”

 

Paul replied with a benevolent smile.

 

“Oh, Ciel and the Little Duke must have seen each other for the first time today. Have you already introduced yourselves?”

 

At Paul’s question, Kashuel shook his head and said,

 

“No, I didn’t.”

 

Cedric stared intently at him, and Paul bent down on his knees to level his eyes with us, and kindly introduced me and Kashuel to each other.

 

“Ciel, this is the Little Duke, Kashuel Alehard.”

 

Duke of Alehard.

 

I heard that the sister of the current Emperor married there.

 

‘So, he’s Cedric’s cousin.’

 

The atmosphere was somehow different from Cedric, but he also looked handsome.

 

As expected, beauty was determined by genes, not by anything else.

 

“This is Ciel Minerva, Little Duke. I’m the newly appointed swordsmanship teacher of his highness.”

 

“I know, I know.”

 

Kashuel replied with a sulky face.

 

“Everyone would recognize that unusual silver hair in the first place.”

 

No wonder. Because of that, he must have known that I was Cedric’s swordsmanship teacher.

 

“Oh, it’s already time.”

 

Paul took out his watch and checked it, and stood up again with a troubled face.

 

“Your Highness, I’ve got work to do, but are you going to stay with Ciel?”

 

‘Yes. Don’t mind us and go.’

 

“Well then, I’m sorry, but I’ll leave you first. Is it okay if the three of you stay there for a moment?”

 

Neither I nor Cedric told Paul to go ahead without worrying about us, and he politely left the room.

 

As soon as Paul’s figure disappeared, Cedric turned his back from Kashuel and turned his body completely towards me, and spoke.

 

“Ciel, today.”

 

Come to think of it, I still haven’t held Cedric’s hand today.

 

“Ah, that’s right. I’m sorry, I forgot.”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Cedric said with a faint smile.

 

Just then, Kashuel, who was staring at the two of us, intervened between me and Cedric.

 

“Cedric, listen. That kid was really weird.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Cedric’s eyes widened at Kashuel’s words.

 

“No, she talks to the sword by herself. And she was talking with the sword in the air.”

 

“No, it’s not. It’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness.”

 

I tried to plead no, but Kashuel’s mouth didn’t stop.

 

“You think that’s it? She even gave the sword a name.”

 

In an instant, my heart sank.

 

The moment the name ‘Caliberne‘ popped out in front of Cedric, I won’t be able to escape from here or he’ll beat me in at least a few years, and I’m sure it’ll be the dead end.

 

I shook my head desperately looking at Kashuel with blazing eyes, but he wasn’t looking at me.

 

“And the name that she called the sword, Cali-oop!”

 

Eventually, I ran to Kashuel and covered his mouth.

 

Kashuel, whose mouth was covered with my hands, continued to exhale hot air, desperately trying to shake me off.

 

However, feeling that my life was threatened, I grabbed him with superhuman strength that was several times stronger than usual.

 

“Ci- Ciel?”

 

Cedric stared at me with astonishment, and I replied with the serene look on my face that it was nothing.

 

“Ahaha! Oh, it’s nothing, Your Majesty.”

 

“Oop, hyup!”

 

As my hands loosened slightly, Kashuel slipped out from my grasp, waving his arms in anger with a shriveled face.

 

“How dare you touch my body? And cover my mouth?”

 

Kashuel strode up to me, huffing.

 

“I said I’d be your friend first, but how dare you do this?”

 

Seeing this, Caliberne whistled and muttered.

 

[Oh, He must have been very upset. I think he’s eyebrows are bent at almost 90 degrees?]

 

I wanted to tell Caliberne to please shut up, but I couldn’t afford it.

 

“Ciel Minerva! I’ll definitely remember your name!”

 

Kashuel shouted with an angry face, he kicked the door and went out into the hallway.

 

It has been since then.

 

Completely captured by this angelic-faced yellow-haired little devil.

 

 

* * *

 

A cool breeze blows from the hills after the harsh Knights training.

 

Wild flowers swaying softly.

 

Pleasant sunlight and sound of the rustling of leaves.

 

It was a perfectly peaceful afternoon.

 

“Ciel Minervaaa!!”

 

If it hadn’t been for that damn voice.

 

Looking back with a sigh, Kashuel was standing there today with a triumphant expression on his face.

 

‘It must be tiring again…’

 

Kashuel’s mother, the Emperor’s younger sister, had recently visited and stayed at the palace, and it seems that Kashuel also accompanied her to the palace for a few days.

 

And since the first day we met, Kashuel came to see me every day and left with his own ‘revenge‘.

 

The revenge was to talk to me unilaterally.

 

Kashuel seemed to think his words were very intimidating.

 

Unfortunately, he just looked cute to me, who had heard all kinds of friendly swear words from Hell of Joseon for 23 years.

 

To be honest, it’s hard to think of him as threatening after hearing “Humph, you look soft like pudding” or “Lost your cookies on your way home?”

 

This was how his revenge began today.

 

“Ciel Minerva, you’re so weird.”

 

“Oh, yes. Thank you, Duke.”

 

“Just a talk to the sword.”

 

“Well, you heard it wrong.”

 

“I’ve never spoken down to someone I’ve never seen before, and you covered my mouth. Making me look weird in front of Cedric.”

 

“Hey, I said sorry back then.”

 

Now that I am used to it, I am able to respond in my own way.

 

Of course, the conversation went in one direction, not in two-way.

 

“I don’t know, you’re all weird.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

“I don’t appreciate it.”

 

Kashuel burst into a rage.

 

The content of what he was saying wasn’t very threatening, but one of his temper was nasty.

 

“Strange things are bad things. I don’t like it!”

 

Then he grabbed a handful of my hair that was hanging over my shoulder.

 

“Look at this! Your hair color was also weird! It’s weird!”

 

Kashuel exclaimed while holding my silver hair.

 

Perhaps a five-year-old would cry if he heard this, but unfortunately my mental age was older than that.

 

‘Now he’s starting a little bit of bullying…’

 

And it was far better to hear a thousand times from Kashuel about the color of my hair at the Imperial Palace than being beaten and growing up in an orphanage.

 

Also, I liked my silver hair no matter what others said in the first place, so it didn’t matter.

 

“It’s weird, you’re weird…!”

 

Kashuel, who was holding my hair, snapped and blurted his words.

 

Then he suddenly stroked my hair with his other hand, frowning and pushed his head up and looked down at my hair.

 

“Little Duke?”

 

But he wasn’t listening to me.

 

“That’s weird. But why does he think it’s pretty…?

 

Huh? What?

 

“What?”

 

Couldn’t believe what I just heard, I asked back once.

 

Just then, a hand came from somewhere and separated me from Kashuel, who was examining my hair.

 

“Hey, Ciel has to go to class with me.”

 

Cedric interrupted Kashuel, who was looking at my hair, and said.

 

Two long arms wrapped around me tightly and pulled me closer.

 

‘Uh…?’

 

What the hell is going on here?

 

“So, could you get out of the way?”

Cedric, who looked so jealous, spoke in a sharp tone.